District Court judicial resources need urgent attention

Urgent attention to the number of judges available to conduct District Court business is needed, the New Zealand Law Society says. “It shows how serious the matter has become when the Chief District Court Judge publicly states that the unrelenting pressure on judges in the Family Court is now creating unacceptable…

Lawyers recognised for excellence at In-house Lawyer Awards

The winners of the 2018 ILANZ In-house Lawyer Awards have been announced. The awards were made at the 31st ILANZ Conference Gala Dinner on 18 May in Hamilton, following the national ILANZ conference. “The awards reflect the outstanding and varied contribution that in-house lawyers make to their organisations and their community,” says…

Workplace Environment Survey to be released next week

Analysis of the New Zealand Law Society's national Workplace Environment Survey is well advanced and the results will be released next week. The survey is the first definitive survey of legal workplace environments carried out in New Zealand. It has the objectives of assessing the level of wellbeing in legal workplaces,…

Lawyer guilty of misconduct and negligence is suspended

Serious negligence and incompetence has resulted in an Auckland lawyer being suspended from practice as a barrister or solicitor for 15 months. Jinyue (Paul) Young was found guilty of four charges by the Disciplinary Tribunal at different levels including misconduct, negligence and unsatisfactory conduct. The offending relates to a dispute between his…

Standards Committee issues decision on lawyer who said Judge wasn't fit to sit on the bench

A Lawyers Standards Committee has decided to take no further action against a lawyer who said it was inappropriate for a District Court Judge to continue to serve on the bench. Auckland Barrister, Catriona MacLennan’s statements were the subject of an investigation following her public criticism of Judge John Brandts-Giesen. Judge Brandts-Giesen…

Yipu Shi suspended from practice

Auckland legal practitioner Yipu Shi has been suspended from practice for a period of 15 months commencing 7 June 2017. Miss Shi admitted two charges of misconduct to the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal. These related to her acting for both parties in two conveyancing transactions. The Tribunal found that…

What should I declare at Practising Certificate renewal time?

The practising certificate renewal round is approaching with all current practising certificates lapsing on 30 June 2018. You will shortly be emailed a guide for renewal. You will already have completed your CPD declaration which was due on 31 March 2018. You will need to make a “fit and proper” declaration to…

CPD Declarations and audits – 2018

The 2017-18 CPD year has now ended. Almost 99% of the profession completed a timely declaration for this period, which is a fantastic result. For those of you who have yet to complete this requirement, you can still make a declaration. What next for your CPD? Your next step is to review your…

Work continues on preventing harassment and bullying in the legal profession

Meetings held by the New Zealand Law Society with organised groups across the legal community have resulted in some excellent collaborative initiatives to work on positively changing the culture of the profession, says Law Society President Kathryn Beck. The meetings were held in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and Wellington during April…

Strong response to workplace environment survey

The Law Society’s survey of the workplace environment of practising lawyers had been completed by 3,520 lawyers when it closed on 30 April. The survey, looking at the behaviours lawyers have experienced in their workplaces, was carried out by market research firm Colmar Brunton for the Law Society. It was sent to…